Treasure
by akblake
Summary: Eliot pulls Hardison aside for a little talk, and a reminder about how relationships work. P/H


Eliot waited patiently for the best moment; he couldn't move too soon or the mood wouldn't be right, and too late would see him brushed off with excuses. As their dinner started to break up, he stood and crossed the dining area, getting a nod from Nate as he passed by. "Hey, Hardison, could I have a word?" Eliot quietly asked, drawing a concerned look from their hacker- he knew that he was stepping outside of his usual behavior, but it was for a good cause. Hardison agreed and followed Eliot into one of the pub's storerooms.

"Look, I know it ain't my place, but I gotta speak up," he started, uncomfortably crossing his arms and the dropping them as he remembered Sophie's advice. Unthreatening body language, right. "You and Parker are a good thing, okay?"

Hardison shuffled as he leaned back against a rack of dry goods, looking thoroughly confused at the topic. "Um, yeah, we're great." As Eliot silently fought with himself on how best to voice his concern, Hardison interrupted his thoughts. "If you gotta say something, just come out and say it; gotta be better than standing here watching you try to play diplomat." A crooked grin took the sting out of his words and Eliot had to huff a light laugh- diplomacy wasn't even close to his strong points, and he easily conceded the point.

"When we were locked in that vault a couple jobs back, Parker and I had time to talk, and since then I've made sure to pay attention. You ain't doing right by her, Hardison." Eliot held up his hands to stave off Hardison's now-angry rebuttal. "She told me all about the robot things you take her to, or what she could understand about them, and about sitting around to watch you play your online games, but you know what? When I asked her what _you_ do with _her_ she just looked confused and couldn't answer. In watching you two I've seen that everything you do together is something you set up, something you enjoy."

Angrily, Hardison broken in, "She's never said anything to me about being unhappy with the way we're doing things, so what do you know about it? You never date the same woman twice!"

Eliot nodded. "My dating isn't what we're talking about. What I know about it is that Parker doesn't have enough experience in proper dating, you're the first she's tried this with, and she doesn't know how to tell you when something is wrong. She's afraid that you'll end up leaving her like everyone else in her life has." Hardison's face was now thoughtful and slightly ashamed, so Eliot moved in for the kill. "Parker is beautiful, loyal to a fault once she's given her trust, and still views the world as a beautiful place. Rather than trying to change her, or brush off her input, she should be treated like the treasure that she is or someone else will come along and show her what a true partnership is." Eliot glared meaningfully at Hardison, making it crystal clear who that someone would be. He loved Parker dearly, like the bratty little sister he'd never had growing up, but he knew that the threat of competition would shock Hardison and make his point stick.

"So, what- either I do what you say or you'll try to steal her away? I don't believe that for a minute, but you've made your point," he sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. "Man, I don't even _like_ half the things she finds interesting, and the other half I swear are just creative ways of killing me. So what do I do?"

Eliot relaxed at that, having more half expected Hardison to take a swing at him. "You do what every man in the world does- you grit your teeth, smile through it, and do it because it makes her happy. At the end of the day, you gotta love her enough to put aside your own fears and step up." He paused as a thought struck. "But if she ever wants you to go rock climbing with her, I won't blame you a bit for backing out. Woman's scary when she free climbs!"

Hardison vehemently agreed, apparently having already experienced the 'joy' of that particular experience. Eliot knew how he felt- he regularly found himself on the wrong end of guns and other assorted weapons, and yet the one time he'd agreed to go climbing with Parker had been the most terrifying experience in his life. Humans were never meant to move that way. Ever.

"Look, I'll talk to Parker tonight and work on including more of her interests," Hardison agreed and looked like he wanted to say more before changing his mind and closing his mouth.

Reading the look, Eliot simply nodded to accept the hacker's gratitude and made his escape from the room. Maybe now Hardison could grow up a little and the next time he talked to Parker she wouldn't be so sad and confused. For the entire hour they'd been trapped together, Eliot had been glad that the vault they in was completely dark when she began talking about how hurt she felt, and why- he couldn't keep the emotion off of his face as she asked him if this was normal. It was also why he talked it over with Nate and waited a while before bringing it up; less chance of anger making him say the wrong thing.

Hardison dropped his keys into the bowl he used and walked over to join Parker in bed, studying her as he went. Eliot was right- she was a treasure, priceless beyond comprehension. "Eliot cornered me tonight, and made me realize how unhappy I was making you feel," he started, picking up one of her deceptively delicate-looking hands and pulling her in for a cuddle. "I am so sorry, sweetheart."

Parker interrupted his apology to twist around and pull him in for a fierce kiss. "I forgive you Alec," she whispered against his lips before she settled back into his embrace. Both settled in for the night, cuddling was one of their favorite things to do as they dropped off to sleep, and both wanted to luxuriate in the relaxed air they'd built with just a few words.

A/N: Just had to take a stab at 'fixing' a relationship which has always struck me as a little wrong, with how it's treated in canon. Hardison always seemed a little immature and dismissive of Parker's needs/likes. If we'd had a season six, it could very well have blossomed into a mature and respectful partnership, but it did improve a bit for season five. Mentally put this fic somewhere just after the first episode of season five, though I did play loose with the timing a bit. Anyway, feel free to review and let me know if you liked it- my muse always giggles like a little kid at Christmastime when a review comes in :)


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